Ever So Critical
by erkenbrand34
Summary: A romance fic between Alan and Tate, set during the sixth Fire Emblem game. Rated T to be safe, though I doubt there is any T content in here.
1. Chapter 1

Well, it has been a long time since I have posted now hasn't it? Oddly enough, I have still been writing and in the time I haven't been posting I have amassed quite a bit of Fire Emblem fanfiction hahaha. Well, I came back because I felt the need to post some of this, so I will be starting with the Fire Emblem 6 stories and maybe go to Genealogy of the Holy War later. Now, before I get murdered for not pairing Tate with Klein, I know a sin right? Its just…. BAH I DON'T NEED TO JUSTIFY THIS TO ANYONE! I LIKE IT! Hahaha. Well enough of my rambling and explanations, it's time to get to the fic, so lets get started. Read, review, comment.

Disclaimer: I have nothing interesting to say for this right now, so I do not own Fire Emblem or its characters, though I wish I did.

Alan drove his lance through his opponent and withdrew it; the enemy bow man fell to the ground. Alan reared his horse and looked around him. There was nobody left to fight. Probably a good time to take a rest, Alan swung off his horse and stood there for a minute. he noticed he was breathing heavily, his strength reliant fighting style was exhausting.

The red haired cavalier heard a thump behind him and spun around sword drawn, he lowered it. Tate, a pegasus knight with short, teal hair, climbed off her flying horse and walked towards Alan.  
"Why do you fight like that?"

Alan was rather taken aback; no one really questioned his fighting style except for Marcus. He wasnt really insulted, but he just found it odd.

"Excuse me?"

The teal hair girl continued,  
"It just that you rely on so much brute strength. It leaves you wide open for a counter attack."

Alan nodded, she put out a valid point but he fought like this to show the enemy the power of Pheraen knights, not out of choice.

"I realize that, but I cannot change my fighting, a knight has to display the strength of his country. If I hesitate, or flee, the enemy gains more moral and momentum. That isn't good for anyone."

Tate still wasn't convinced; Alan realized there was a battle still going on.  
"Speaking of momentum, I must be off to the battle. It was nice talking to you."

Alan rode off, Tate sighed.  
"That man is going to get himself killed... I cannot let this continue." Tate felt the need to change his rash fighting habits; she couldn't just let the man die. It was her responsibility to help out the army.. So she decided she would seek out Alan later and teach him some of the finer aspects of lance work and sword play.

l********

The battle ended well, no deaths in Roy's army, everyone was in a good mood and it was clearly showing back at camp. Friends huddled around campfires and shared stories of their exploits. Dieck was talking with some of his mercenary friends about his days as a pit fighter. Clarine could be seen in the bushes behind listening with interest. Tate scanned the camp, no Alan.. Where could he have gotten to? She sought someone to ask, that man in purple armor, she was pretty sure Marcus was his name, seemed like a good choice.

"Hey do you know where Alan is?"

Marcus looked up from a conversation with Roy,  
"Yes, he's in that forest over there with Lance." he pointed to the nearby trees, then raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh I was going to try to teach him some Ilian lance work. I feel as if he fights with too much reliance on strength."

Marcus gave a short chuckle,  
"Go then, although I think what you will find when you see Alan and Lance is quite different from what you are thinking."

"Thanks..."

Tate walked away confused, what a cryptic old man. Yet as soon as she saw the sparring match between Alan and Lance, she realized what he meant.

Alan's sword work was actually graceful, much different from the brute strength he had been relying on earlier. His attacks were actually highly skilled and very refined. She continued to watch them, trying to figure out why Alan fought the way he did.

l*******

"We are being spied on Alan." whispered Lance.

Alan parried another blow from Lance, he gave a short chuckle.

"You are just trying to throw me off guard. Have at you!"

Alan attacked, Lance deflected it,  
"I am dead serious, I will make an attack to your left, then glance right toward the large oak tree."

Alan saw the truth his in eyes and did as Lance said, he was right. There was a small figure in the trees.

"What shall we do." whispered Alan, the two were keeping up their fight.

"On the third shot I take to your head we will sprint to the tree, then we will catch the villain."

"Alright."

First shot.

Second shot.

Third shot.

The two broke to the trees in perfect unison. The figure tried to pull back but Lance was already there. Alan was near as well. Lance grabbed the figure's hands and pulled them behind her.

"Ah! Stop it! That hurts!"

Alan stopped and gave a laugh; he recognized the voice and teal hair immediately.

"Let her go Lance."

Lance looked at him like he was crazy,  
"She's an Ilian knight! She could work for anyone!"

"She's Thany's sister, she joined up the other day."

"Oh!" he let go, and Tate took a step back and rubbed he wrists.

"I'm truly sorry Miss, but you must realize spying on someone like that only makes them assume.."

Tate waved it aside,  
"It's no trouble." shoot, how embarrassing, caught spying on two members of her own army! What would the other squad members think? Thought Tate.

"Why ARE you taking such an interest in my fighting Tate? It's quite strange you know!"

"Well..." Tate's cheeks were burning red, "I just was afraid you would get yourself killed... You fought with such rashness, but seeing you now. I don't know what to think. "

Lance laughed,  
"Tell me about it! Alan always fights in battle like all he knows how to do is charge! It makes him look brain dead!"

Alan rolled his eyes,  
"Oh for Pete's sake! Come on Lance, your little plan to run after Tate saved you from a terrible defeat."

Tate tried to sneak away in the ensuing argument, but Alan quickly grabbed her arm.

"Since you know so much about swordplay, why don't you join us for a bit?"

Oh boy, now she had done it. Still, it's not like she could back down now, Tate had to prove what she knew.

"Alright..."

Lance tossed her his sword,

"I'll just leave you two alone for a bit..." Lance trotted off

Alan chuckled and Tate blushed a little redder. Alan raised an eyebrow,  
"Are you ready?" Tate nodded

"I suppose so." Tate gulped, she had no idea what to expect from Alan, for all she knew he could potentially be a master swordsman and destroy her. In the end though, they fought. Alan came out on top after a rather long battle, his sword point under Tate's chin.

"Still think I cannot handle myself?"

Tate shrugged,  
"I'm not quite sure, will you keep fighting like you do?"

"Yes."

Tate threw her hands up in the air, this man was infuriating. All she wanted to do was help him! Why on earth wasn't Alan letting her help!

"Why!?"

"Because I have to! I told you this earlier!"

"It makes no sense though! If you die it adds more to the enemy's moral than if you hesitate!" Snapped Tate, the fact that Alan wouldn't change his fighting style was beginning to annoy her. That man was going to get himself killed!

"Well I haven't died yet! And until then I will diligently do my duty as a knight of Pharae! I will show them our unflinching strength and push forward!"

"... Fine... I did my best to help..."

Tate turned and walked away, she looked sad, disappointed, and irritated. Alan sighed, he didnt want their conversation to end like this.

"Tate wait!" he ran up to her, she glared at him.

"What do you want; you've made it perfectly clear that you do not want my help!"

Alan sighed, maybe she was right..  
"Tate, your advice is useful.. Next battle I will try to mix up my fighting style."

Tate was rather taken aback by this sudden change in heart,  
"why now?"

Alan shrugged,  
"I don't want you going off and thinking your advice was for naught. I thought about it and many people have said that to me, it may be best to at least try another method."

Tate finally smiled,  
"I look forward to seeing a change."

Alan chuckled,  
"We will see. Have you had dinner yet?"

This surprised Tate more than the first change in heart.  
"Well, no... Bu-"

Alan cut her off,  
"Well than come on! If you are going to be so obsessed with teaching me to fight correctly, I may as well get to know you! Besides, you are being too reserved and anti-social, notice how Lance didn't have any idea who you were?"

Tate realized he was right, she didn't know anyone save for the Eutrian generals, Klein, and her sister. Maybe this was for the best.

"Alright Alan, I'll come with you."

Author's notes:

Well, that's it for the chapter, things will pick up in my typical fashion if any of you have read any of my other stories. I do enjoy this pairing, maybe it's because I am a sucker for the typical peg knight+cavalier pairing, but hey it's a personality flaw. My one concern is that I will make this too much like my Forde and Vanessa story, but considering this is already written out and ive read it over several times it shouldn't be too much alike. I will post another chapter sooner or later, im not sure exactly when though. Please read and review, but do not be critical to a crazy extent… as much as I like to be ridiculed on tiny grammar points…. I really don't…. but if there are any GLARING problems feel free to mention them. I hope you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 2

I FOUND THE MISSING CHAPTER! Well…. That was much less climactic than I felt it would be. Nevertheless, I'm just putting this up for whoever wants to read it. Read, comment, review, etc. I'll do my best to balance this and my other story. Happy reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem.

The two took their plates to the campfire; they got to talking on a social level for the first time. It was great, Tate really got along with Alan, he introduced her to a couple of people in the army. They talked about their homelands, adventures they have had. They compared Pharae to Ilia and spoke about the life of a mercenary. Tate felt rather foolish, the man who she thought to be a foolish, meat headed cavalier actually turned out to be a very intelligent and nice guy. She was glad she met him. Then Klein walked by and Tate's eyes followed him, Alan noticed.

"You like him?"

Tate blushed, embarrassed.

"Wha-what do you mean."

Alan gave her a level stare, he raised an eyebrow and Tate gave in,

"Fine, yes I do."

Alan chuckled and did his best to assure her that telling him was alright,

"It's fine, I won't tell anyone or anything like that. I never was a fan of gossip. So does he know you like him?"

The blush creeped further across Tate's face. She was never one to reveal details on her personal life,

"I-I'm not so sure.. I do my best to let him know but, he sometimes seems so indifferent."

Tate gave a sad and lovesick sigh; Alan put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey it's alright, I'm sure he just hasn't realized how you feel about him. Don't lose faith in yourself!"

Tate smiled at his warm and encouraging words,

"Thank you Alan, I appreciate it. See! Aren't you glad I tried to fix your fighting style, you've made a new friend." Alan rolled his eyes and Tate gave a small laugh.

The two talked a bit more but as the night wore on they had to part ways. Tate went to sleep in an excellent mood! It was very rarely she met such an enjoyable person to be around, Alan was a pretty cool guy and Tate was glad she made a new friend.

l******************

The next day another battle had to be fought, this time Alan and Tate seemed to be ordered near each other more often. They began to fight as a team.

"Tate behind you!"

Tate turned in her saddle upon hearing the shout from the ground, a dragon knight of Bern was flying towards her. Tate threw a javelin at it, bringing it down. Hm, Alan also appeared to be highly aware of his surroundings. However, he did not see the cavalier riding up behind him with its lance pointed to his back. Tate swooped down and stabbed the man with her silver lance.

"I thought you said you would stop being so rash Alan!"

Alan laughed over a swordfight on horseback.

"I promised to change my fighting style, and I actually have! I never promised to stop being rash."

Tate shrugged, he still did those infernal charges, but at least after Alan charged in he became a little more held back. So in a sense, he was making progress.

"I suppose that's why I'm here isn't it."

Alan cut another horseman down.

"To your right Tate."

How did he see that.. Tate simply acknowledged that Alan was an incredibly strange person with odd talents. She began a fight with a few more horsemen. Tate looked to the sky and saw her younger sister riding away from a few dragon knights. She seemed to be having the time of her life. Tate grumbled,

"Flying without a saddle again, this is becoming ridiculous. I need to have a word with that girl."

l***************

The battle didn't take long to end; Tate immediately went to talk with her younger sister.

"Thany, we need to talk."

"Oh what is it sister!? I haven't spoken to you since you joined us."

What was that Alan had said about being anti-social...

"It's about your pegasus riding Thany, you don't use a saddle."

Thany spoke in her cheerful tone, as oblivious a ever. Tate could feel the irritation beginning to tug at her.

"I like it! It makes riding feel so much more free! Like nothing is holding you back!"

Tate sighed, the childish ignorance that Thany still had could be annoying.

"Well that's all well and good, but what if you lose balance in a battle? What if you get hit?"

"I don't get hit! I'm fast! I am becoming a master pegasus knight sister!"

Tate just shook her head, why did everyone have to reject her criticism. All she wanted to do was help,

"Come on Thany, you need to use a saddle, or else you could get seriously hurt."

Thany just realized all of what Tate had been saying was criticism towards her riding style, she became defensive,

"No! I don't have to do whatever you tell me Tate!"

Tate, now frustrated, was reaching her limit with her younger sister,

"Fine, then I'll get your pegasus taken away when we get home!"

Thany shouted back to her sister,

"Why are you always so mean to me Tate! All you do is tell me how bad I am doing! You arnt always right you know!"

Tate shouted back now,

"I'm right about this! I can't have you screwing up and getting killed! You are too carefree Thany!"

Thany snapped back,

"This isn't about me Tate! You just want to look good as a flight leader! You don't care about me at all! You have hated me since I was born haven't you!"

Thany was doing the typical young child reaction, Tate realized that deep down, Thany was still a child..

"You know that's not true Thany.."

"No! Leave me alone! You just think I am embarrassing you, don't you! fine! I'll leave and go find Juno!"

Thany ran off towards camp, Tate called out,

"No Thany! Stop!"

Tate ran after her sister, but she wasn't fast enough. Tate tripped over a branch and tumbled to the dirt. The pegasus knight just laid on the ground for a minute in a hopeless state, trying to think of what to do next. Her sister would have taken off by now, flying straight into an area that was controlled by Bern.. Oh what had she done? Tate heard a branch crack and turned around to see Alan. He grasped her hand and helped Tate onto her feet.

"Are you okay? I heard what happened..."

Tate looked surprised.

"You-you did?"

Alan nodded; he decided it was probably best to not make any jokes about the situation.

"Alan... What do I do!? I was too hard on her! Now Thany is flying all the way to our sister in Ilia!"

"Ilia?!" exclaimed Alan, he knew it had been conquered by Bern. Not to mention Thany was a member of Roy's army, she would be ruthlessly hunted down. He seemed to think for a moment.

"Come on, let's go."

"Wha-What do you you mean?"

Spoke Tate, confused.

"We have to get her! Now let's go! Every minute we delay Thany gets further ahead of us!" Alan tried to pull Tate along, there was no time to delay.

Tate shook her head quickly and dug her heels into the ground. She couldn't involve her new friend in a potentially dangerous mission.

"No! I can't drag you into this Alan! This is my fault! I will fond Thany alone. Besides, you are Roy's knight. You need to follow him don't you?"

Alan put a finger over her mouth and shushed her.

"Tate, you know you can't do this alone... Besides, Roy's army is planning on heading to Ilia to obtain the spear Malte, we can pass this off as a scouting mission! Now let's go!"

Before she could protest, Alan pulled Tate towards camp. He asked her to get their mounts ready while he went to tell Marcus their plans. Marcus, upon hearing Alan's plan, looked at him strangely.

"You, Alan... Scouting? Forgive me if I find that hard to believe. I think you arnt telling me something."

Marcus glared at Alan, who in turn realized Marcus saw right through his lie. He decided to tell Marcus the truth; Marcus gave a hearty laugh,

"Now THAT I can believe." he grew serious, "Alan, Roy needs you alive. If you go there, you have to be careful. Do you understand?"

Alan's eyes popped out of his head,

"You are letting me go!?"

Marcus nodded,

"We should be fine these next few battles and this seems rather important. You can go if you are careful."

Alan nodded,

"Of course sir!"

He hurried out of the tent, Marcus called out,

"Try to bring back some scouting data while you are gone!"

Alan and Tate mounted up and began their chase, it was a long journey from the borders of Lycia to Ilia. The mountainous terrain didn't make things easier, and after that.. The snow. After many days the duo reached the Ilian border, they had successfully evaded all Bern soldiers up until this point. Alan gazed upon the snow covered frozen landscape. It looked hellish. He shivered,

"Home sweet home?"

Tate nodded, and spoke in a tone lined with sarcasm.

"Very hospitable isn't it? Well, this is Ilia. I hope you enjoy your stay."

Alan chuckled, the landscape wasn't exactly charming

"Certainly not very welcoming is it?"

Tate shrugged, she didn't expect Alan to understand some of the hidden beauties of the land,

"The areas around the castles are magnificent.. The frozen wasteland part.. Not so much." She looked into the sky, it was getting dark.

"Come on, we need to pitch a tent, it gets cold at night."

Alan looked to her in disbelief. His mouth was gaping,

"It gets COLDER?!"

"Yes, much, much colder."

The two quickly pitched a tent and set up a fire. They cooked a small meal and sat in silence. Even with a fire Alan was freezing, but Tate simply shrugged the cold off, Alan was dumbfounded. How on earth did she do that.

Finally it became night, and then worse, it began to snow. A lot. A blizzard had passed over them and the snow fell heavily. Tate brought some blankets into the tent and the two camped out. Alan was prompted to ask a question,

"Do you think your sister is alright? Out here like this?"

Tate nodded,

"If we know anything it's that the snows of Ilia are dangerous. Thany is no idiot, she would be prepared for them."

Alan nodded,

"Wait what about the horses? Will they be alright?"

Tate simply opened the front of the tent to let Alan see. Though he didn't really appreciate the cold air and snow, he looked out and noticed his horse seemed to be resting on the ground next to the pegasus. The pegasus had one wing draped over it like a blanket.

"Wow, that is truly a sight to see." muttered Alan.

Tate laughed in amusement,

"She must like your horse. I've never seen her do that before."

Alan chuckled,

"Really? I just assumed you trained them for this?"

"Nope."

Tate noticed Alan shivering and laughed. She made a joke to him.

"Do I have to put my arms around you to keep you warm Alan?"

Alan shrugged,

"Well..."

He got hit in the face with a blanket instead,

"There, use that instead." Tate practically fell over laughing.

Alan couldn't help but smile, at least she wasn't worrying about Thany.

"Fine! I'll just take all of the blankets then! Since you seem to be made of ice!" Alan was poking fun at how Tate simply shrugged off the cold, but she took it a different way. A tear fell down her cheek. Alan realized his mistake.

"I'm sorry Tate I didn't mean it like that!"

She sniffed; her rigid and controlling personality had caused her so much grief recently. The emotions were beginning to reveal themselves now,

"I know Alan... It's just..."

Tate cried into her hands and Alan quickly came over and put his arms around Tate to comfort her. Alan couldn't stand seeing Tate in such a sad and broken state. It ate away at him, he felt he needed to make it better,

"You arnt made of ice Tate! You're a genuinely nice person!"

She shook her head, not allowing him to console her.

"No, you said it yourself, I'm antisocial! I drove my sister into danger! All I see about people is what they do wrong! I'm horrible!"

Alan never noticed Tate had any self-confidence issues; he hugged her tighter and tried to soothe her.

"Enough of that Tate, none of it is true! You are a wonderful and amazing person! Just because you point out people's flaws doesn't mean you are a bad person! Why did you tell me I was too rash?"

Tate sniffed again; Alan was conveying his point to her now. She began to accept his consolation,

"Be-Because i didn't want you to get hurt..."

"Exactly! It's because you cared Tate! That dosnt make you cold! If anything it makes you compassionate!"

Tate stopped crying and gave Alan a weak smile.

"Thank you Alan."

She spun around and hugged him back tightly, burying her head into his shoulder. The two shared an embrace for a moment before Tate broke it, blushing red.

"We should probably get some sleep..." murmured Tate.

"Yeah.. We should.."

Tate took off her headband and let her hair fall down. Alan was almost surprised, Tate looked so odd without it. She noticed him staring.

"What is it Alan?"

He shook his head and snapped out of it, Tate looked confused like she had done something wrong,

"What's wrong?"

"Oh! I'm sorry; you just look so different without the headband."

Tate laughed; her appearance was the last thing on her mind right now. She could honestly care less if it looked bad,

"Is it that bad?"

Alan shook his head,

"No, you look nice! Stunning even it's just... My god, it changes your whole appearance!"

Tate laughed again and laid next to him. She pulled a blanket over herself, in the darkness she spoke.

"Goodnight Alan... And thanks for everything.. Especially coming all the way to Ilia with me.. I appreciate it."

"No problem Tate! I'm glad I could help!"

"Goodnight Alan..."

"Goodnight Tate..."

My note:

I really don't have time to write this out, so I'd just like to say I'll get the next chapter up soon, it's not really a priority for me though. Comment, read, favorite, like, etc.


	3. Chapter 3

Well, indeed it has been a while. I know I have been gone for a long time, I had to deal with finals and studying for those took up most of my time. NOW here is the next chapter of my Alan and Tate fic. I know everyone wants the Sain and Farina fic to get up… and I'll get that up soon enough. Anyways, one more thing: WARNING: I made one new character, don't kill me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it

Tate woke up, she looked around the tent. Alan was still fast asleep next to her and the snow was still falling. Tate checked on the horses and looked up at the sky, the blizzard didn't seem like it would last much longer. She sat back down in the tent and stared down at Alan for a moment. He was such a nice guy, thought Tate. She was very happy he had come with.. Alan was a very nice friend to have.

Tate thought about it for a moment, he was really beginning to grow on her. Not just in the typical friend way, Tate found that she was beginning to care about him quite a bit.

Alan woke up shortly after, the two didn't speak much when they woke, apart from standard good mornings. It was not long before the snow storm ended and they were able to continue. They rode side by side, Tate had no use for flying since she didn't want to leave Alan behind. Tate glanced over at him several times during the ride, she couldn't help but think about how kind Alan was to her the night before. Alan glanced over at Tate as well, there was something about that obsessive and controlling pegasus knight that he enjoyed. He briefly considered the prospect of becoming more than friends but quickly tossed it out of his head. She liked Klein, there was no reason to pressure her into anything else.

The two soon arrived at a large snow covered valley in the mountains. There they saw a small tent with a fire burning outside of it, there was a pegasus there as well. Next to the pegasus were four or so dragons without riders. They heard a shouting from inside the tent. The dragon riders emerged, led by a man in purple armor. With them was Thany, her hands tied behind her. Tate looked to her and saw a fear in Thany's eyes that she had never seen before. They dragged her towards their dragons and Tate began to move forward, Alan put a hand on her and pulled her back.

"Stop Alan! Let me go!" whispered Tate fiercely. "I have to get my sister!"

She struggled forward but Alan held her back further.

"Stop it! We can't win this fight Tate!"

"I have to try..." she tried struggle free of his grip.

Alan pointed to the man in purple armor,

"Look who's being rash now! Do you know who wears that armor Tate?! Answer me!"

Alan spoke firmly now, the cavalier part of him had taken control of the situation.

"G-General Murdock..." her voice was shaking now. Tate stopped struggling against Alan and shrunk her shoulders in defeat.

"I-I suppose we should go back then.. We can't fight Murdock..."

Tate was struggling to hold back tears, a few dripped onto her armor. She watched as the dragon knights took her sister away, they put Thany on the dragon with Murdock and flew off.

Alan spoke soothingly to Tate now.

"No... We aren't giving up, where are they flying Tate?"

Tate looked to the sky, her eyes were red.

"There is a city not far in that direction, that must be how they got here so quickly... That must be where they are taking Thany.."

Suddenly she brightened up a little,

"We might find her there!"

"Exactly! So we better get a move on! There's no telling how long we have before..."

Tate shook at the thought of what might happen to Thany at the hands of Bern, chances are she would be executed for working with Roy's army. The two rode off towards the city and took Thany's pegasus with them. They reached it by nightfall, just as it was getting cold and snow was falling into the streets. Alan and Tate saddled their three horses at a nearby stable, they gave the stable master a depressing story about how the third member in their mercenary gang was killed in a blizzard and they were stabling her pegasus until they could sell it. The man seemed to buy it, so Tate and Alan quickly paid their way and ran through the streets to find a tavern or inn to stay. It didn't take them long, they ducked into the doorway and entered a dimly lit tavern that smelled of Ilian rum and other kinds of alcohol. A small fire burned in the corner and Alan went up to do the talking.

Tate sat down and looked around, in the corner there was one more lady, she was tall and slender with fierce teal hair. A spear leaned up against her and she wore the armor of a typical pegasus knight. Tate cursed and diverted her eyes, Tate knew that lady, she was Tate's own childhood rival Irelia. (this isn't an actual character in the game mind you) Alan sat down next to Tate, he saw the fear painted plain on her face.

"What's wrong?"

Head still looking towards the table, Tate spoke slowly.

"I know that woman... And she knows me.."

Alan cursed and looked up to Tate. He glanced over at the woman who promptly noticed them and stood up. She walked towards them.

"So Tate! It's been two years and you FINALLY come back with a date now eh?" she gestured to Alan. Alan examined her with steady eyes, she had clearly had a bit to drink, but not enough to make her drunk. Irelia ordered a round of Ilian rum for the three of them; Tate nodded to the woman's comments.

"Yeah, I met him in a squad heading to Bern. Ever since then we've been... Dating..." Tate was clearly shaken, to think she was normally anti-social... Now this was a whole new level.

"Yeah she's right, we met in the capital and sparks just flew."

The woman nodded and the rum arrived, 3 mugs. Alan looked down at his, it couldn't be that much different from Lycian ale right? He took a swig and nearly gagged, god it was strong. He glanced over to Tate, hers was already half gone. He shrugged and began to drink, Tate looked over to him. She cursed the gods, Alan was going to give them away wasn't he? He didn't know anything about Ilia. when he finished it Alan swayed a little. Tate knew it from the beginning; the only people that can hold their Ilian rum were people from Ilia. Alan didn't look like he would survive another mug.

"Another round barten-"

"Actually no! No thank you! Me and my friend here are fine, we just want to head upstairs and get some sleep." Tate cut in.

Irelia frowned,

"Why such a rush to get out of here Tate?". She glanced to Alan and her and a look of understanding crossed her face.

"Oh I see how it is, you two want to "Get some sleep," as in he's going to be getting inside that skirt eh?"

Tate's face had never been so flaming red in her life. This had to be the most embarrassing thing that had happened to her. The only thing more embarrassing was what she was forced to say in response.

"... Yep that's the plan.. Now if you will just excuse us..." Irelia let them by up the stairs.

Once in their room Tate shut the door and locked it. She breathed a sigh of relief and Alan sat down on the bed, holding his head.

"How the hell do you guys drink that stuff.. I couldn't survive a single mug, you two must have had at least three each.."

Tate chuckled at her friend; normally men could drink more than women, not to mention Tate was much smaller than him.

"You get used to it. Ilian rum is well known for how strong it is. I'm just glad I got us out before she ordered anymore. "

Alan laughed at his own failure to keep their persona together,

"Lucky us she was already buzzed, I'm pretty sure any other person would have realized I can't drink like you guys. Nice cover up for why we are here by the way, very well thought out."

Tate blushed a little, then grinned,

"Is that sarcasm Alan?"

Alan shrugged,

"A little, it was smart though, we would have been screwed if you hadn't thought fast. I'm sorry, I don't appear to be of much use here.."

Tate shook her head, not willing to allow Alan to degrade his part in getting them this far,

"No way! You are the only reason we made it this far! If it wasn't for you I would be wallowing away in a jail cell with Thany right now! This is a much better alternative, though still not very good."

Alan smiled,

"Thanks Tate! I'm glad I was of use."

Tate sat on the bedside with him, her arm slowly made its way around his hip,

"I'm glad you are here Alan... I think you might be the nicest guy ive ever met.. Thanks for getting me this far."

Alan smiled,

"I think I am the only guy you've ever met Tate," she glared at him and he laughed, "I'm kidding! I'm just glad I could help you out with finding your sister! I'm sure we will find her tomorrow."

"Ah ever the optimist Alan."

She smiled and gave him a friendly hug. But for her, it seemed more than friendly. Tate held him close... She relied on him... She didn't want to let him go..

Alan was suprised, his body stiffened up, such a gesture was unexpected. Slowly though, Alan put his arms around her, and eventually he softened up and pulled her against himself. Neither of them wanted to stop it, until finally they broke off at the same time. Both had their eyes averted.

"I-I'm sorry Alan, I appear to have gotten caught up in the moment..."

"It's,... It's fine Tate.. I must say it was rather.. Enjoyable.."

Tate's eyes widened at the response, she hadn't expected this. Was Alan... Was Alan falling for her? Her mind buzzed, finally she said something.

"Have you... Do you.., do you have somebody...?"

Alan shook his head, almost in sorrow,

"No, there is nobody in my life but me.. God, I can't even remember the last time I was held like that.. What about you?"

Tate shook her head,

"No... I can't either. I thought i would have Klein but.. But now im not so sure.." Alan put a hand on Tate's shoulder and she stiffened at the contact, her emotions were clearly confused.

"It's alright, just take your time Tate."

She nodded and walked over to her bed stiffly, she layed down.

"Yeah... I guess I'll think on things... Goodnight Alan..."

"Goodnight Tate."

Both of them went to sleep now, both of their minds were abuzz with the potential of a partner... Emotions were running high; neither knew what to think they both had mutual feelings.

My note:

Well, this is another one of those ones I have to keep short so I will be quick. I will try to get more up over the course of this week, but knowing me I wouldn't count on it xP. I'll see what I can do. Other than that, I'm sorry I added in another character, hahaha, I felt like I needed to. That's it, comment, review, etc.


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